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When In Doubt, Ignore the Darkness. Fly Toward the Light.

But what if there is no light at all? How do we navigate a dark sky when there is no visible alternative?

Fly to the Light

Just after obtaining his pilot’s license, a dear friend from the Midwest found himself surrounded by unexpected thunderstorms.

He clambered for every streak of sunshine he could find, ultimately zigzagging his way to a safe landing.

Here’s what he so eloquently shared about that experience:

“That principle is a metaphor for my life.

It seems that I have always flown to the light. If there was resistance or a combination of obstacles, I just vectored my way between them or around them.

That approach is superior to flying blindly into clouds. You never know what’s in the cloud or on the other side of it. There could be another plane or there could be a bolt of lightening. You just never know.

Flying in the light allows the pilot to see what’s coming and take evasive action. I commend that approach to you. When given the choice between taking a chance in the dark or flying in the light, choose the light. At least you have a chance if you can see what’s coming and have a chance to avoid it.

Fly to the light, live in the light and avoid darkness, whenever possible.”

What If There IS No Light?

There is only one time that is important – NOW! It is the most important time because it is the only time we have any power over. ~ Leo Tolstoy

I remembered this message from my dear friend, who regularly writes to his family and friends, as I was diving deeply into our upcoming Leadership Course about how to become a More Effective Leader.

Since the circulation of his letter is both limited and private, I have chosen to use quotation marks so that his voice is clearly heard because his spare prose more eloquently describes his philosophy of “flying to the light” than anything I could muster.

He went on to describe what happens if there is no light at all?

How do we navigate a dark sky when there is no visible alternative?

That’s not to say that living in the light is always possible. There are times when obstacles must be confronted.

Generally, that will be necessary where there is no light to fly to. When that happens, you must stiffen your spine, take a deep breath and engage the obstruction. When there is no other option other than retreat or capitulation, charge.

I don’t like to retreat. Retreat leaves me with a dissatisfied feeling about myself. I try to avoid that.”

Our success requires us to be resourceful, with a positive attitude as our copilot – and determination in the jump seat. Click to Tweet

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

I know that in the early days of my career, I was much more inclined to charge straight ahead into the dark clouds even when the path of sunshine was clearly before me.

Today, I recognize my behavior was more a function of arrogance and hubris than wisdom or insight. Sometimes I charged because I knew I could.

I had little desire to leave much on the table for the other party.

At other times, I vainly sought any ray of light to avoid the inevitable disaster I saw coming.

But, I wasn’t very good at it, and my hard-charging tendencies inspired the resistance that hastens rather than dispels the storm clouds.

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Who’s your copilot? Is someone in the jump seat?

It’s never easy to navigate when the light is barely visible or accessible.

Our success requires that we are both relentless and resourceful, with a positive attitude as our copilot and with determination in the jump seat.

We must grasp that ray of sunshine like an elusive thread drawing us to the Golden Fleece.

I wish I had my friend’s wisdom in those days … and sometimes today as well.

His is a simple but powerful philosophy that is well recommended to all of us.

Just like pilots, we either fly to the light, count on dead reckoning … or depend with absolute certainty that our instrument panel is never wrong.

Being dead wrong is just not a very good option.

Question: What’s are you doing to stay out of the darkness and fly into the light?

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Within a three year period I had two different startups and one acquisition to deal with. Lary's involvement in the projects allowed me to raise substantial amounts of capital on all occasions. He makes even the most monumental task seem effortless. His tireless attention and focus on the project gets things done, done right, and under deadline. ~ Don Meahan, owner and operator of Alaska’s Naknek Anglers, LLC

Lary brings to the table a wealth of real world wisdom and experience that is grounded in an impressive array of C-level and other executive leadership and operational management roles. Over the years I have found Lary's advise and counsel to be invaluable, I think in part because of his dedication and commitment to being of true value to his clients and colleagues. Lary has a well-honed ability to ask the right (and often difficult!) questions, to shed light on the most challenging aspects of your business, to share best practices and to guide you to valuable solutions to consider. I recommend Lary without hesitation. If you are a CEO or senior level executive, working with Lary will no doubt prove to be one of the smartest decisions you will make during your career.~ David Newlin, Managing Partner

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Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations. ~ Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO

Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines. ~ Paul Levitan, CEO

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I've known and worked with Lary for more than 15 years as a business partner, consulting colleague and adviser and have found that Lary's financial skills and creativity result in high quality results for his clients. I am certain that Lary's strong work ethic, client focus and successful track record bode well for future clients just as they have formed the foundation of a long-term and highly valued relationship for me. ~ Kevin J. Sharps, Director, Financial Services Consulting practice

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About Me

I am a leadership coach and a professional author and speaker, facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.

I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 500+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.
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Ready to mix it up a little?

If you're a fan of the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre, you can enjoy a little diversion and dive into some of the great reads you'll find here. I intend to stimulate your discovery of the good, the bad and the only genre where a ranch breakfast is a steel metal jacket dipped in cordite. Have fun!